Absolutely. It is clarity that is needed.

I acknowledge at the outset the launch of a €40 million support package for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, which I wholeheartedly welcome. I also acknowledge this includes €35 million Covid-19 stability funding to qualifying organisations most in need which have seen their trading or fundraising income drop significantly during the crisis. I am aware applications for this funding closed on 21 May. How many applications were received and how much funding has been drawn down?…

I will begin by commending the work of all of the employees of the passport offices who have been redeployed to assist in public service delivery during this health crisis. As I understand it, the number of passport applications in Ireland has fallen by more than 150,000 in the past three months. Figures released to the Irish Examiner by the Department showed that in April only 13,820 applications were received for new and renewed passports. This is just 13% of the 103,482 applications received in April last year. …

I accept there are difficulties in the aviation sector. I wholeheartedly support the call for jobs to be strongly protected. Has any plan been drawn up based on the expected impact on the sector? Have any streams of funding been identified? It is vital for the local economies in the regions, not just in our cities, that the aviation sector is protected and supported. On that note - it connects very well - obviously buses and coaches are needed to transport people to the airports. There is a connection. With that in…

It is very important in Offaly; we want to keep our football going. We obviously do not want Kerry dominating in everything.

We have to be.

I am calling for the reclassification of the VAT system. Apparently, the coach sector in the North of Ireland is at a competitive advantage. I have been inundated with calls from the bus and coach sector about this issue. They have spoken to me about the reclassification of VAT status to harmonise the island's VAT system. Those operators feel it would be advantageous to the local economies, businesses and tourism.

I begin by supporting Deputy Naughten's call for the Bord na Móna wage subsidy situation and voluntary redundancy to be sorted out. I, too, was contacted by a number of workers and union representatives in Shannonbridge. A number of workers were let go some weeks ago and were given the wage subsidy, but the whole idea of the payment is for companies to keep their workers on the payroll. There is an issue in that regard. I have received no response even though I sent the email a number of weeks ago. The matter needs…

Before I begin, I thank the Minister for her responses and those of her staff working in her office concerning questions I raised last week. I begin by noting that the advisory group on the reopening of early learning and care and school-age childcare services met last Friday, 15 May, and that the Department is continuing to make preparations for the phased reopening of childcare services in line with the Government's Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business. As I understand it, six sectoral representatives, nomi…

I will start by wishing the Minister every success. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Uasal Doherty as an sárobair a rinne sí. I also want to acknowledge the hardworking staff in the Department who have managed to process thousands of applications in a short period. Their work needs to be acknowledged here as well. I recently raised the issue of carers who have sought access to the PUP. I am glad to say that a family carer who works fewer than 18.5 hours per week but who loses her job is now entitled to re…

Ba mhaith liom cúpla ábhar éagsúil a phlé leis an Aire inniu agus tá cúpla ceist agam fosta. Bheinn lán-sásta le freagraí scríofa mura bhfuil go leor ama againn. The first issue concerns the impact of Covid-19 on rural schools. I have been very concerned about this issue for some time and as a former principal of a rural school, I believe the current system is neither working nor fit for purpose in terms of staffing schedules and the bands. I know of many schools throughout the constituency of Laois-Offaly that hav…

In April, I highlighted the fact that without a series of immediate interventions to help alleviate the staffing shortages in nursing homes, enormous difficulties would emerge. A number of nursing homes in my constituency of Laois-Offaly have contacted me in recent months about a chronic staff shortage due to staff members being out on Covid-19 sick leave and due to the fact that some were awaiting test results. This fact undermined the capacity of many nursing homes to operate efficiently. It put a huge strain on …

I begin by asking about the actions and interventions that have been taken regarding nursing home staff shortages. A number of staff were out of nursing homes due to testing for Covid-19, waiting for results and all of the rest. I sent an email to the Minister's office on 17 April about one nursing home that was at crisis point and I am very disappointed that I received no response whatsoever. I had to email six different individuals in Laois-Offaly HSE, and only after emailing them for a second time did I finally …

Last week, a national plan to help the small business sector recover, and to ensure that employment is sustained, was published. The plan is backed by ISME, Retail Excellence Ireland and the Restaurants Association of Ireland, among others. It recognises that SMEs account for 99.8% of active enterprises and 65% of total employees in the State. It also recalled that 31% of our exports are SME related. This shows how important SMEs are to our economy. These facts clearly point to the significance of the sector for ou…

While so much of the State's focus has been on saving the bodily physical health of our people, we must remember that protecting the soul of our State is also extremely important. Ensuring that the arts and our culture survive and thrive is just one way that we can make this happen. The Irish spirit is creative and artistic and has shown itself to be resilient during this crisis. We need to do what we can to make sure that the cultural and artistic capacity of communities and volunteer groups is strengthened. They …

I welcome the opportunity to make some brief remarks on this issue. When this crisis first emerged, the response of the European Union at Commission and Parliament level could hardly have been described as ideal. Pleas for meaningful solidarity on the part of Italy, which was enduring horrendous suffering, were met with bureaucratic resistance and an absence of regulatory flexibility. Fortunately, the pace of the response has picked up somewhat since then, even if many sectors, especially agriculture, remain deeply…

I want to ask about the European Commission private storage aid. We know that €80 million was allocated but this is wholly inadequate and insufficient. That has been pointed out by all farming organisations. Is there an opportunity to negotiate a better deal on this? The €80 million that has been allocated is to cover all of the EU. It is a drop in the ocean. Is there an opportunity to discuss and negotiate this further?

There can be no doubt that tourism is one of the sectors that has been most adversely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. On 5 March, the Minister for Health made a statement on the floor of this House recognising that fact. At that time, the Minister noted that the Government was mindful that any sustained period of significant flight restrictions would lead to impacts on tourism and business in Ireland. That has come to pass. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, and…

I am sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. The response to childcare needs, especially with respect to the front-line healthcare workers and essential workers has been disappointing overall. I accept that it is an issue complicated by public health advice but the fact remains that the approach to date has been fragmented and marked by much confusion. I note that on 1 May, the Minister issued a statement to say that existing registered childcare services will be invited to participate in overseeing the provision …

I express my deepest condolences to all those families of those who have passed away and wish those who are very ill at this time well. The challenges which our country and communities are facing because of Covid-19 are stark. While they are unlike anything we have experienced before and will be with us for many years to come, I want to commend our hardworking health staff on the front lines in our hospitals and nursing homes, as well as our GAA clubs and volunteers who are playing their part in assisting the most …